Science Education & Policy

Medical Advisors- Shills For The Pharmaceutical Industry?

Are senior doctors who help drug companies sell their drugs independent experts or just drug representatives in disguise, asks Ray Moynihan from the University of Newcastle in Australia, in this week's BMJ. Pharmaceutical companies regularly sponsor l ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 19 2008 - 7:11pm

Tai Chi May Help With Sleep

More than half of all older adults complain about having difficulties sleeping. Most don't bother seeking treatment. Those who do usually turn either to medications, which can lead to other health problems, or behavior therapies, which are costly and ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 21 2008 - 9:30am

California Thinks It's Dangerous For You To Look At Your Own DNA

California thinks you shouldn’t be allowed to see your OWN fingerprints (of the DNA variety) without a doctor’s permission.  Last week, the California Department of Public Health sent "Cease And Desist" orders  to 13 private companies that were ...

Article - Lee Silver - Jun 22 2008 - 6:27pm

Global Warming May Be Increasing Hardiness Of Some Plants

The hardiest plants and those most likely to survive the climatic shifts brought about by global warming are now easier to identify, thanks to new research findings by a team from Queen's University. Populations of plants growing at the outer edges of ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 23 2008 - 1:00pm

A Perfect Storm Of Buzzwords- Report Says Global Warming Will Increase Terrorism

A classified assessment by the National Intelligence Council (NIC) says climate change could threaten U.S. security in the next 20 years by causing political instability, mass movements of refugees, terrorism, or wars over water. The House Intelligence Com ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 25 2008 - 9:53am

Creationists Push For Critical Thinking (no Joke)

Creationists and intelligent design proponents have scored an important victory in Louisiana this week, at least for now. In its appalling lack of wisdom, that State’s legislature overwhelmingly approved a bill that requires teachers to introduce to their ...

Article - Massimo Pigliucci - Jun 25 2008 - 5:29pm

Gender Bias- Can Men Get A Fair Chance From Women In Research?

We read (and write here) a lot about gender issues in the scientific arena but usually topics are related to science education and promoting greater equality of numbers at the higher levels. There are a number of studies detailing the issues women face in ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 26 2008 - 11:49am

Analyzing The Homocide Trend In Young Men

It has been commonly regarded as a good sign that the nation's homocide rate has remained flat but the big picture obscures a disturbing fact, say researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Namely that between 1999 and 2005, h ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 26 2008 - 12:25pm

New Mercury-Absorbent Packaging May Let You Use CFL Bulbs Without Risking Your Health

Due to concerns about greenhouse gases, compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) have become the rage- even to a point where common sense has taken a holiday, namely when environmental sites fall back on Big Tobacco language like 'unlikely to hurt you' a ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 27 2008 - 2:40pm

Optimizing The University- Why We Need A New Educational Model For A New Century

There are currently great needs and great opportunities for improvement in post-secondary science education. As world education improves, we need to provide more students with complex understanding and problem solving skills in technical subjects to allow ...

Article - Carl Wieman - Jul 28 2008 - 9:24am